In the fall of 2010, the perennially weird and beautifully piecemeal Cropped Out launched their inaugural fest at a musty, virtually untouched country club-cum-resort on the banks of the Ohio River. It boasted a forward-thinking line-up that predated the typical festival zeitgeist by at least two years (JEFF The Brotherhood, Julianna Barwick, Moon Duo). The following year brought a more adventurous lineup, plus a more taunting presence in a large Butchertown warehouse space that saw the accidental arrest of Scratch Acid/Jesus Lizard's David Yow by Louisville's finest. Later this month, Cropped Out will return to the campy, eclectic resort from whence it came, serving up a lineup that truly encapsulates, in theory and practice, everything strange, meta, and punk-- combining the analog tape hiss of outsider artists, the gritty wherewithal of DIY, and the hive mind of true Internet lulzery.

Reclusive outsiders Jandek, eccentric home recording godfather R. Stevie Moore (whose documentary was posted last week on Ad Hoc), Tim and Eric public access protege David Liebe Hart, and the unequivocally uncategorizable Eugene Chadbourne will all be on hand to make you feel weird. The shapeshifting Ian Svenonius as Chain and the Gang, Tampa's Merchandise, free jazz freaks Michael Zerang with Darin Gray, Dutch lute composer and Jim Jarmush collaboratorJozef van Wissem, and (a very special hometown appearance from) David Pajo as Papa M all aim to twist the vibes toward the cathartic. America's Funnyman Neil Hamburger is gonna do some cool jokes. And lest we forget a rare (in both senses of the word) Midwest appearance from deconstructionist Lil B, among a staggering swath of the country's most intriguing subterranean dwellers. I can barely believe this is actually a thing. How unbelievably stoned our creator on high had to be to allow such ridiculousness to unfurl is beyond me, but it's real and, if you're within at least a day's drive, it's the chance of a lifetime to attend what is quite possibly North America's most excitingly strange festival.

Cropped Out 2012 takes place September 28 and 29 at American Turner's Club in Louisville, KY. The September 30th show takes place in a cave, seriously. Good tickets still available at Ticketfly or the Cropped Out website. (via The Decibel Tolls)